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The Ridiculously Successful Way to Introduce Yourself Over Email

Writing an email to a stranger is easy. Writing an email to a stranger that gets a response? Not so easy. The typical professional gets so many messages on a daily basis it's a feat if they even open yours -- let alone reply.

Luckily, at HubSpot, we know a lot about effective emails. Here are our best tips for introducing yourself over email.

How to Introduce Yourself in an Email

Write a compelling subject line.

Tailor your greeting to the industry and situation.

Make your first line about them.

Explain why you're reaching out.

Provide value for them.

Include a call-to-action.

Say "thanks" and sign off.

Follow up with them.

1. Write a compelling subject line.

Persuade your recipient to open your email with a compelling subject line. Piquing their curiosity is key; unlike a message from someone whose name they recognize, there's no guarantee they'll read yours unless it grabs their attention.

2. Tailor your greeting to the industry and situation.

It might be one word, but the greeting you opt for makes a difference. If you're emailing someone in a conservative industry, like finance or government, go with the traditional "Dear." If you're emailing someone in a more relaxed industry, such as tech, media, travel, or fashion, use "Hi," "Hello," or even "Hey."

4. Explain why you're reaching out.

Now that you've stimulated their interest and genuinely complimented them, it's time to connect the dots.

For example, let's say you're hoping to set up a networking meeting so you can learn more about their role (and potentially get a job referral).

If your first line is "You've done an impressive job at [company] building [X strategy] and revamping [Y program]", your second line might be, "I'm considering a career in [person's field] and would love to buy you coffee so I can learn more about it from an expert."

Or perhaps your goal is booking a sales call. Your first line might be "I see you host several campus events per year," and your second could be "I work with companies like Facebook and Google to help promote their college recruitment events."

The key is making your explanation as relevant to your recipient as possible. You want them to feel special -- not like one person on a list of 100 that you're emailing. And always make sure you're writing sales emails prospect's actually want to read using this five-step process.

5. Provide value for them.

Before you ask for anything, you need to provide value. Thanks to the principle of reciprocity, receiving value makes people want to return the favor.

Later, the same researcher asked the participant to buy $5 worth of raffle tickets. Agreement rates were much higher than for participants who didn't get any soda.

A thoughtful, authentic compliment can definitely provide value, so if you've already said something nice in your first few lines, you don't necessarily need to do more. However, it doesn't hurt to go a little further. Here are some ideas:

Review their book on Amazon, Goodreads, etc., and share the link

Recommend an article they might find helpful

Suggest a useful app or tool

Offer to introduce them to someone who they'd benefit from knowing

6. Include a call-to-action.

The final piece of the puzzle? Your call-to-action (CTA). Remove as much friction from your ask as possible; if you want them to meet with you, for example, provide a link to your meetings tool so they can instantly see when you're both available and book a time. Or if you want them to review a post you've written, include the attachment so they can immediately read it.

Take a look at these sample lines:

"Would you be willing to comment on the LinkedIn post I wrote? It would be great to have your unique perspective (and hopefully get some discussion going)."

"If you're thinking about how Greener could apply the concepts in the guide, I have some ideas I'd love to share. Here's the link to my calendar: [Link]."

"Are you open to answering a few questions about your experience working at HubSpot? Happy to chat over phone or email, whatever's more convenient."

Try to strike a balance between polite and confident. Phrases like, "I know you're busy, but …", "I'd normally never ask, however …", "You probably don't have time, so …", "It would mean the world to me …" and "I'll be forever in your debt if …" make you seem desperate -- and suggest your recipient would be massively inconveniencing themselves by saying yes.

Because you're reaching out to a stranger, your request shouldn't be that excessive or unreasonable. If it is, that's a completely separate issue. Don't hurt your chances of a "yes" by sounding insecure.

7. Say "thanks" and sign off.

No need to write anything more. The best emails are short, sweet, and concise. After all, extra information or unnecessary details lessen the probability your recipient will actually read the email -- they'll be too put off by its length. You also run the risk of distracting them from what actually matters.

Introduction Email Template

Now that you have all the building blocks, let's see each section in action working together as a full introduction email.

40% Growth in 3 months -- wow

Hello Elena,

I'm inspired by the work you've done in customer success, not to mention your unique career path.

I saw your recent article on managing surges support ticket and had to reach out. I've helped companies like yours easily manage accelerated support tickets, which has contributed toward as much as 40% growth in as few as three months -- this case study illustrates how.

If you're interested in learning how to implement some of these strategies in your team, I'd love to share more. Here's a link to my calendar [insert link].

Thank you,

Caroline

How to Introduce Yourself to a Group

Maybe you just started a new job or joined a different team, and you need to introduce yourself to a group of people. Use this template to create your email introduction.

Hello enterprise sales team

Hi all,

I'm the new sales director for the enterprise sales team. I wanted to take a moment to say an official hello.

The work you've done and the numbers you've hit have been key factors in our successful year. And I'm thrilled to work with you more closely over the coming months.

In the future weeks, I'll be reaching out to everyone so I can meet you all and say hello. Should you have any questions or concerns during this time, don't hesitate to reach out to me directly -- my door's always open.

Looking forward to working with you all.

Thank you,

Katrina

By Way of Introduction

"By way of introduction" is a common phrase just as commonly misused. When introducing a new topic, person, or idea, you would say, "By way of introduction ..." and include examples or anecdotes to give your new subject context. For example, "Our next guest will be Aja Frost, by way of introduction, I'd like to share a few of Aja's accomplishments with you."

"By way of introduction" is a phrase that can be used when introducing a new person. And below we'll take a look at the best way to introduce others via email.

How to Introduce Someone via Email

If you have a contact who would benefit from connecting with a friend or colleague of yours, use this template to introduce them via email. Include reasoning for the introduction and make sure the connection will be valuable for both individuals.

Introduction -- Kelly Davis and Rob Cortez

Hi Kelly,

Please meet Rob Cortez, a manager for our top-performing, mid-market sales team. He previously managed sales operations at a tech startup, [Company Name], and has insight into new sales ops technology. He's interested in our sales operations and would love to learn more.

Kelly is a senior manager on the sales operations team and she's reviewing the tools and software the team's using for the next year.

I've copied Rob on this email so you can connect about sales operations and technology -- and I'll let you two take it from here.

Best,

Valentina

Introduction emails don't have to be awkward or unreliable. Follow this formula, and your introduction emails will go over like a charm. And if you're looking for more email tips, check out these less pushy alternatives to "As Soon As Possible" next.